Philosophy
Let's be honest: beauty pageants are about how hot the contestants are. I won't pass judgment on whether this is morally acceptable or reprehensible, but since I once dated a beauty pageant contestant, I may be a bit biased anyway :)
What I do have a problem with is the farce, perpetrated by the organizers, that everyone watching is going to be concerned with these girls' intellectual sophistication.
If you want to choose someone based on how hot she is, just be honest and admit it, because when you don't, and you ask these girls a simple question, such as whether evolution should be taught in school (the only theory that can explain and connect all of biology into one coherent conceptual and testable framework supported by massive amounts of evidence, and what the hell kind of question is that anyway? why not ask whether the 'theory' of gravity should be taught too?), these are the dumbass sorts of answers you're going to get:
Did you get that? Even the girls who are pro-evolution can't always come up with decent support for their position.
I could teach a semester worth of logical fallacies based on these 15 minutes...
And yes, most of these girls may be misinformed, naive and/or dumb, and you may cringe at their stupid answers as I did, but I wonder who's at fault:
Finally, Miss California, give me a call sometime :)
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Guest-post from C.Ewing today: So, I've been tutoring in a fourth grade class. The kids get stickers as they do their work, do chores in class, etc. At the beginning of the new week (usually Monday) they get a reward for having earned the most stickers....
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Philosophy
Miss USA Contestants on Evolution
Let's be honest: beauty pageants are about how hot the contestants are. I won't pass judgment on whether this is morally acceptable or reprehensible, but since I once dated a beauty pageant contestant, I may be a bit biased anyway :)What I do have a problem with is the farce, perpetrated by the organizers, that everyone watching is going to be concerned with these girls' intellectual sophistication.
If you want to choose someone based on how hot she is, just be honest and admit it, because when you don't, and you ask these girls a simple question, such as whether evolution should be taught in school (the only theory that can explain and connect all of biology into one coherent conceptual and testable framework supported by massive amounts of evidence, and what the hell kind of question is that anyway? why not ask whether the 'theory' of gravity should be taught too?), these are the dumbass sorts of answers you're going to get:
Did you get that? Even the girls who are pro-evolution can't always come up with decent support for their position.
I could teach a semester worth of logical fallacies based on these 15 minutes...
And yes, most of these girls may be misinformed, naive and/or dumb, and you may cringe at their stupid answers as I did, but I wonder who's at fault:
- Impressionable girls who probably grew up being brainwashed with the fantasy of beauty pageants instead of the value of an educated and independent mind, or
- The event organizers, who are aware of these girls' backgrounds and still threw them a fastball purely for the sake of creating controversy to increase their own ratings.
Finally, Miss California, give me a call sometime :)
- What's The Difference?: Athletics, Sports, And Games
What is the difference between games, sports, and athletics? While surely not all games are sports, can we say that all sports are games? Not all athletic activities sports, but are all sports athletic activities? What about competitive ballroom dancing?...
- Stickers And Gender
Guest-post from C.Ewing today: So, I've been tutoring in a fourth grade class. The kids get stickers as they do their work, do chores in class, etc. At the beginning of the new week (usually Monday) they get a reward for having earned the most stickers....
- What Darwin Never Knew
Darwin's idea of evolution through natural and sexual selection has been dubbed by many as perhaps the greatest single idea anyone has ever come up with. In a remarkable stroke of genius, Chuck was able to bridge the gap between the world of inanimate...
- What Darwin Didn't Know
Darwin has become an icon of scientific virtue, not only because he sought naturalistic explanations for the biological phenomena around him, as well as the mechanisms through which nature, unaided by some supernatural force or agency, would gradually...
- Way To Go Tesco
"Tesco keeps chemistry set as a boys' toy despite protests" by Charlie Cooper May 5th, 2013 The Independent Tesco has defended its decision to label a children’s chemistry set a boys’ toy, despite criticism from gender equality campaigners....